Temporary Solution

[Suprman]

To Start off, I'm a College Student and as the title states this is my Temporary Solution. I live in an Apartment complex and rent 2 one car garages, they are not connected as pictured, but i might be able to work out getting 2 right beside each other and taking out the separating wall for a total space of 24x20. more on that later.

so here's the only picture i Have right now of my primary garage used for storage.

And here is a mock up of both garages as they are, just connected for ease of sketching and later plans.

right now i use the one on the left for storage, right one to work on cars. as you can imagine not alot of space for either use.

I'm looking for ways to maximize space on a budget. I part out Mustangs for extra money and have 2 parts cars curently, also 2 personal Mustangs as well as a 02 F250 Diesel and a 97 Honda Civic, as well as a 18' car Trailer. As you can imagine the Apt complex isn't too happy about all the cars, but i can't afford more then 2 garage spots at this time so i need to make the best of it.

I believe getting 2 connecting garages would be my best bet, but looking for ideas on the separate garages as well.

 

[pseudorealityx]

Find a friend who is renting a house, and pay him a small fee to store a car (or 3) there. Likely a lot cheaper than renting garages from the apartment complex.

 

[hidollartoys]

Finish college quick, get a good job and buy a house with some space to build a shop. Your current situation, IE going to school should be your single primary focus. The rest will come later.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

with hidollartoys.

Do you really think the apartment complex will give you permission to remove a wall?

 

[61scout80]

Finish college quick, get a good job and buy a house with some space to build a shop. Your current situation, IE going to school should be your single primary focus. The rest will come later.

this! my biggest regret is focusing on EVERYTHING but school when i was in school!


That said, and knowing you will be like i was and ignore everone that tells you to worry about school first, then food, then shelter. what are you paying for those garages compared to what you can rent a shop for locally?

 

[jonny o]

My only shop for a long time was a 10x20 storage unit... so I feel your pain.
I didn't have much room on the sides around my car, so I had to maximize the space behind the car, as well as using the vertical space to it's capacity.

I built 4 feet wide plywood and 2x4 shelves for the back wall to the ceiling. They were freestanding so I could take them with me when I left, but I secured them to the wall for a little more stability. They were probably about the size of the shelves you have on the right wall. Think about putting those in the back for some more working space on the sides... will they stack safely if veritcal?
Also used a tower of milk crates in the corner for storing small parts, tools, car cover and misc ****. Set them on their sides and zip tie them together, then to the wall. Again, go as high as you can and use the high ones for rarely used items.
If your ceiling has steel beams across it, they are handy for building a hanging shelf for long and light items. Think trim pieces, sill plates, lines and a broom.
Spare wheels and tires are space hogs, so I tried to make them part of the space. For a short time I had them in stacks of 4 with space in between. Plywood on top with allthread and a couple nuts down through the lugnut holes as a light duty work space. The space in between the two stacks was perfect for jack and jackstands.

The best purchase I ever made was a set of dollies. 2 feet on each side of the car was simply not enough, but if I put the car on dollies, I could slide it back and forth depending on which side I needed access to.

Best of luck.

 

[cyclopsblown34]

Looks like you're burning the candle at both ends. Parting out the Mustangs and only them might be a niche that will allow a little extra income while in school. I admire your efforts but don't let the car illness distract you from getting your education.